Learning Disability Services

Creative Support has been providing quality services for people with learning disabilities for over 12 years. We provide flexible, person centred services to meet the different needs of our service users. Our services include those designed specifically for individuals based on their assessed needs as well as larger contracts which offer flexibility and choice to over 30 people with a range of needs.

We have developed a range of services including intensive support for people with challenging behaviours, dual diagnosis, autism specific services, services for people with additional physical and sensory needs and community support for people who are more independent. We work closely with families, carers and other stakeholders to provide co-ordinated services for individuals. There is a high level of active service user participation with regular forums for service users with learning disabilities.

Creative Support is committed to providing high quality, person centred services which promote the independence, choice and inclusion of the people we support and we have an excellent track record for the delivery of services which are truly personalised.

Across our services we highlight the importance of people being supported and encouraged to participate in a wide range of activities, and staff ensure that people enjoy full and active lifestyles. This helps to increase social inclusion and to make sure that people with learning disabilities have full access to the community resources, events and activities available. This in turn improves health and well-being and gives people the opportunity to strengthen their social networks and develop their confidence in social situations.

Creative Support has embraced the key themes of the government’s Valuing People White Paper and Valuing People Now. We have adopted a person centred approach to ensuring that people with learning disabilities and complex needs:

Have the same legal and civil rights as everyone else

Are included in all aspects of their local community

Have real choice and control over their daily lives

Have real chances to achieve greater independence wherever possible

Enjoy health, well-being and opportunities for fulfilment

The key part of our approach to Person Centred Planning is that the individual is at the centre of their plan, and is in control of their plan and what it contains. We make sure that service users and carers are fully involved in the development of Person Centred Plans.

All our employees working in services for people with learning disabilities are trained in Person Centred Planning: working in person centred ways, promoting rights and choices and developing Person Centred Plans (ELP, Path and MAP) with our service users. They are also trained to meet specialist communication needs so they can facilitate Person Centred Planning with service users who have little or no verbal communication, using communication techniques such as British Sign Language (BSL), Makaton and Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS). This ensures that all service users are able to plan around their individual goals and preferences.

We believe that everyone has the potential to make decisions about their lives, and that Support Workers must be skilled in helping them to do this, regardless of a service user’s ability to communicate verbally. Creative Support expects all staff to ‘listen’ carefully at all times to service users and take appropriate action based upon their wishes, intentions and dreams.

“Since Creative Support took over the service I have seen many positive changes, one being the growth of our services in Sandwell, where we now support 20 adults with learning disabilities. I have also seen our service users supported to become more independent and some of the people using our services now need less support, fewer support hours, than they did before.”Gladys Moore, Team Leader, Sandwell

“It is really good when a service user takes up Person Centred Planning and owns it. One of our service users who has just been introduced to it, now uses it to plan her future and take control of her life.”Gary Lumb, Support Worker, Fleetwood

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Creative Support Limited is a Registered Society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 (Register Number 27440R) and an exempt charity, whose registered office is at Creative Support Ltd, Wellington House, 131 Wellington Road, Stockport SK1 3TS